Company of Heroes -- Axis Command Doctrines

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The might of Germany's explosive power can crash down on the enemy's head with the click of a button.

By David Langeliers, THQ

Over the last few weeks, we've been taking a look at the various weapons available to both the Axis and the Allies in Relic's upcoming RTS Company of Heroes. Below are descriptions of today's focus, the Axis Commander Doctrines.

Supplementing the info is a kick ass video showing off all of the Commander powers on the Axis side including the powerful Tiger tank. Look especially for the Allied shell that simply ricochets off of the Tiger's front armor!

Sadly, this is the last installment of the Company of Heroes weapons features but on the brighter side, the game is very, very close to release. In fact, Relic is on the last stage of their Beta testing, including the stress test happening right now. If you'd like to participate, Relic began handing out even more keys - 15,000 actually - so to Fileplanet before they're all taken. Grab them here!

Company of Heroes is scheduled to ship September 11th for release on the 14th.

Axis Company Commander

In our last feature we talked about the Allied Company Commander, allowing an Allied player to customize their forces and unleash massive special attacks on the enemy. This time we'll be showing you the Axis counterpart. While the Allied tree focuses on the Infantry, Airborne or Armored divisions of the military; the Axis tree is made up of doctrines. These are the Defensive Doctrine, Blitzkrieg Doctrine and Terror Doctrine. Each has its own unique units, abilities and play style&#Array; but all of them are equally dangerous! Read on to get the details, and make sure to check out the video linked on this page.

Defensive Doctrine

The Defensive Doctrine is for players who like to fight battles on their own turf, slowly pushing back the enemy lines. Abilities available fall into two categories, Base Defensives and Artillery Support. Base Defensive abilities include: For The Fatherland!, Fortify The Perimeter, and the massive 88mm Flak 36 AA/AT gun. For The Fatherland! will give all friendly units a defensive bonus while they are in controlled territory. Fortify The Perimeter upgrades all of the Axis base buildings with defensive machine guns. And last but not least, the powerful Flak 36 is capable of destroying tanks, buildings and aircraft from long range. Just don't leave it vulnerable to an infantry attack or you may find it pointing in the wrong direction! The Artillery Support abilities include Advanced Warning, Registered Artillery and Rocket Artillery. Using these you can increase your visual range in the fog of war, drop defensive artillery on any friendly building, or barrage an area with 280mm Rockets that turn anything they touch into rubble.

Blitzkrieg Doctrine

The Blitzkrieg Doctrine is exactly the opposite of Defensive. If you're the type who likes to push hard, overwhelming the enemy through speed and numbers, then this doctrine is for you. The first category of abilities is Stormtrooper Support. Each of the abilities in this category call in additional firepower at a moments notice. Ranging from Stormtrooper squads, to a full blown Armored Assault Force including the massive Tiger Tank! The other abilities fall into the Assault category. Assault Grenadiers enables infantry squads to assault a target with a barrage of grenades. Resource Blitz rewards you with a massive Manpower bonus in exchange for freezing your economy for a short period of time. Blitzkrieg Assault! enables all vehicles and infantry to attack with overwhelming speed, even heavy tanks like the Tiger!

Terror Doctrine

The Terror Doctrine is designed to strike fear into the heart of the enemy. Divided into Hero Support and Propaganda categories, it houses some of the most awesome and destructive abilities in the game. Hero Support unlocks the Zeal, Firestorm and Tiger Ace abilities. Zeal causes infantry squads to fight even more fiercely as they take losses on the battlefield. Firestorm calls in a massive bombardment on the target area, trapping all enemy troops in a firestorm. Tiger Ace deploys a veteran Tiger Tank to the battlefield, unparalleled in both armor and firepower. Using the Propaganda abilities, you can launch an Inspired Assault causing all troops to fight with a fierce and renewed intensity with no regard for their personal safety. Propaganda War will demoralize enemy troops, forcing them to retreat. The last Propaganda ability is the terrifying V1 Rocket. This attack launches a single V1 onto the target area, capable of wiping out virtually any building or piece of armor in one foul swoop!

By now you should have a good idea of the forces available in Company of Heroes, and how to use them wisely. So pick up your gear, get out there, and show 'em what you got!